Upstream Vaccine Substance Commercialization Director

MSD; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 173,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

401(k) plan

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

MSD in West Point, Pennsylvania seeks a Director for Vaccines Drug Substance Commercialization (Upstream). You will lead ~30 scientists and engineers, providing strategic direction across mammalian cell culture, live-virus vaccines, microbial fermentation, and scale-up.

You will ensure regulatory alignment, coordinate tech transfer, validation, and lifecycle management, while guiding platform translation and strategic resource planning.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biological Engineering, Biochemistry, or related field.
• 10+ years leading end-to-end vaccine/biologic CMC process development with late-stage focus.
• 5+ years leading CMC projects and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior technical authority for upstream vaccine process development and commercialization.
• Drive process control and validation strategies across GMP sites.
• Align departmental goals with enterprise priorities and manage budgets.
• Coach and develop talent; ensure succession planning.

Skills

Analytical Thinking

GMP Knowledge

People Leadership

Process Development

Strategic Planning

Education

Ph.D./Master’s in Chemical Eng

Tools

Fermentation Systems

CFD Modeling

Process Validation

Job description

MSD in West Point, Pennsylvania seeks a Director for Vaccines Drug Substance Commercialization (Upstream). You will lead ~30 scientists and engineers, providing strategic direction across mammalian cell culture, live-virus vaccines, microbial fermentation, and scale-up.

You will ensure regulatory alignment, coordinate tech transfer, validation, and lifecycle management, while guiding platform translation and strategic resource planning.